Vertical lines appeared between Jasmine’s eyes. “Why would you say that?”
“He’s only asking for one date. You preach to Nydia about seeing someone other than her trifling boyfriend, and meanwhile you need to take your own advice. You’ve been divorced for nearly two years, and it’s time you started dating again.”
“I’m not ready for a relationship,” Jasmine argued softly.
“No one said anything about a relationship, Jazz. Go out with different men, and just have a good time. That’s the only way you’re going to get over that slug you married.”
“Is that what happened to you, Tonya? You didn’t get over your ex until you hooked up with Darius?”
“I’d gone out with several men before I met Darius. They were co-workers, and I’d promised myself that I would never getthatinvolved with a co-worker, because if we broke up then I would have to see them every day.”
“So, what did you do when you dated them?”
“We would take turns cooking for each other, or when we were off we would go on drives out to Long Island or Upstate New York to eat in little out-of-the-way restaurants to sample the dishes on their menus. I dated one guy who was into old black-and-white movies, and we’d spend hours watching them. In other words, we became good friends.”
“What makes Darius different from the others?”
Tonya crossed her feet at the ankles. “I’m allowed to be who I am. Whenever I tell him I can’t see him because either I’m too tired, or I have to work a party, he doesn’t give me grief or attitude. In other words, I have the freedom to live my life however I want.”
Jasmine closed her eyes for several seconds. “Have you told him you’re planning to move down here?”
Tonya shook her head. “Not yet. I’ll tell him once I get back. Hannah and I still have to go over a few things in our contract.”
“Does he ever talk about marriage?”
A hint of a smile lifted the corners of Tonya’s mouth. “No.”
“Not ever?”
“Maybe once. When we first met, I told him I was divorced, and he told me he wasn’t husband material.”
“What did he mean, he wasn’t husband material?” Jasmine asked.
“I never asked.”
Jasmine pulled her lip between her teeth as she appeared deep in thought. “What kind of vibes did you get from Cameron?”
Tonya decided to tell her what she’d witnessed. “That he’s a man who goes after what he wants.”
An expression of uncertainty flitted over Jasmine’s features. “I hope you’re not talking about me.”
“No, I’m not,” Tonya lied smoothly. She didn’t want to frighten her friend into rejecting a man who appeared interested in her. Five months ago she hadn’t known anything about Jasmine’s personal life; however, the day she, Hannah, Jasmine, and Nydia were downsized with dozens of other employees had become one that had changed their lives forever. Former employees of the investment bank, they were now friends and soon-to-be business partners.
“I know you have a problem with trust because of your ex,” Tonya continued, “but there has to come a time when you let go of the past. Look at Hannah. If she hadn’t gotten over her late husband’s infidelity, she never would’ve married St. John. Some men cheat. That’s just what they do, Jazz, and you need to understand that they’re probably in a minority, or the institution of marriage would never survive.”
“How did we go from my going out on a date with Cameron to marrying him?”
“You’re the one who mentioned marriage. All I’m saying is go out with the man. What do you have to lose?”
The seconds ticked, and then Jasmine said, “I’ll think about it.”
You do that, Tonya thought. There were times when she felt more like a counselor and an older sister when dealing with Nydia and Jasmine. Perhaps it was because she and Hannah were in their fifties and had adult children that they shared a similar outlook on life. “Well, not for nothing, you have seven months to think about it,” she said after a comfortable silence.
“I don’t know whether I told you, but I have an interview on Tuesday for a position with an agency that prepares single women with children to transition from living in shelters into permanent housing.”
Tonya was slightly taken aback with Jasmine’s disclosure. “I thought you were going to go back into the interior decorating business.”
“I’d thought about it, but then I changed my mind, because it would mean starting over. Remember, I lost all my clients once I sold my business after the divorce.”
